Twin Cities Daily Planet (https://www.tcdailyplanet.net/tag/lgbtqia/page/18/)
As someone who rarely has a hard time getting fired up and energized, I’ve been terrified of my response to the proposal to amend the Minnesota constitution to ban gay marriage. For months, I have vacillated between unfocused, counterproductive rage and stunned, numb denial. Continue Reading
Fertile Ashes, a narrative short film which I wrote and directed, will play this coming Sunday, June 3rd as part of the Out Twin Cities Film Festival, http://www.outtwincitiesfilmfest.com/. Fertile Ashes plays at 3:15 in the L- shorts section.
Fertile Ashes Synopsis:
Marriage Equality, the right of gay folks to marry just like everybody else, is a big city issue… Right?
Last night I attended the Minnesota Freedom Band’s “Second Chance Prom” at a glittery dance center in a St. Paul strip mall. The scarred wood floor was slick, as were the bottoms of my used men’s black wing tips, as was, frankly, my outfit: a 1940s Japanese “mourning” tuxedo with tails over a Hanes black v-neck t-shirt and a pair of gray and black pinstriped pants. The sleeves were a bit short, and the shoulders a bit tight, but overall, given the thousands of miles separating the continent I live on from the continent it came from, and the decades interceding its first owner and me, it fit quite well.Before you permanently settle on the belief that I am an ego-maniac, I want to add that everyone at the Second Chance Prom looked smashing. There were bright pink and forest green and gold gowns worn by women and one man; black tuxes worn by a number of men (and me); short flowing skirts; dark jeans; some sort of floral hat get up; fedoras; and suit, tie, and vest outfits worn by men and women. Continue Reading
Bachmann is a Swiss Miss
In 2009 23% of the population did not believe Obama was a U.S. citizen. In 2011 Fox News poll, still a quarter of the population held this view with fully 40% thinking there is “cause to wonder” about his citizenship. Birthers remain unconvinced that Obama is an American citizen. Yet th ere is no debate–Michele Bachmann is a Swiss citizen.
Yearning for marriage has been a part of Darlene Huntress’s life since as early as 1986, when standing as the maid of honor in her sister’s wedding; she gave a toast adapted from a Native American marriage blessing. Continue Reading
Election Day is six months away tomorrow, which means I’m halfway to achieving What Seemed Like a Good Idea at the Time last summer: posting one reason a day for rejecting the Minnesota Marriage Amendment.
I had a welcome breath of fresh air about the Minnesota Marriage Amendment in the fresh air in Cottage Grove Sunday evening.
Colleen Dooley is a yoga teacher and massage therapist who lives in the Midway neighborhood is Saint Paul, with the youngest of her four children.I met with Colleen in the community garden plot, where we are gardening neighbors. As I interviewed her, she was busy planting seedlings. She quickly identified the issues that are most important to her in the upcoming election as the environment, education, and equal marriage rights for same-sex couples.In terms of the environment, Colleen would like to see more political support for local initiatives that support neighborhood connectedness. She would love to see more community gardens available, citing her own experience as one that has helped her meet neighbors who she now sees on a regular basis—at the library, on walks, at the store etc. She remembers seeing a man on a bike wearing a shirt that said, “One less car.” Soon afterwards, she recognized him as the same man running for a local political office. Continue Reading
My father served in the U.S. Army in the South Pacific. After the war he came home and married dear old Mom. After that, as Steve Goodman sang, he became my old man.